Plans have been submitted for a major upgrade at Lady Bay Primary School in West Bridgford, including the construction of a new two-storey teaching block and a modular building at Adbolton Lane Playing Fields.
The proposals, submitted on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council, relate to two sites used by the school: the main school site on Trent Boulevard and the school’s playing fields on Adbolton Lane.
At the main school, the existing single-storey modular teaching block would be demolished and replaced with a permanent two-storey building. The current modular building accommodates early years classrooms but, according to the planning statement, is reaching the end of its functional life and no longer meets modern education requirements.
The proposed new block would provide four classrooms, toilets, storage, circulation space and external free-flow learning space. The documents state that the building must be completed and ready for occupation by 31 July 2028, allowing the existing temporary unit to be removed.
The school sits within a constrained site and includes Grade II listed buildings, with a listed boundary wall, railings and gate along Trent Boulevard. The planning statement says the design has therefore been developed to protect the historic fabric of the school, avoid intrusive fixings where possible, and provide a building that responds sensitively to the heritage setting.
The original infant and junior school opened in 1899, while the main school building visible today dates from 1912. The planning statement says the historic buildings have been adapted over time, but their age, layout and construction now limit opportunities to meet current curriculum and classroom requirements.
The new building would be constructed on the footprint of the existing modular accommodation to make efficient use of the restricted site. The gross internal floor area would increase from 133.545 sq m to 616.185 sq m, arranged over two main storeys with plant and storage space in the roof.
The ground floor would include two early years classrooms, each designed for 30 pupils, with direct external access for outdoor learning. The first floor would provide two further classrooms, a shared group room and welfare facilities. A lift and staircase would connect the floors.
The plans also include changes to boundary treatments and security. New 2.4m metal fencing is proposed in parts of the site, with care required where works are close to listed walls or listed ceramic coping pots. Existing heritage boundary features would be retained or reinstated where specified.
To keep the school operating during construction, a single-storey modular building is proposed at Adbolton Lane Playing Fields, around 600 metres from the main school. During the building works, it would be used as temporary classroom accommodation for two older classes, allowing early years pupils to remain on the main school site.
Once the new teaching block is complete, the Adbolton Lane modular building would be retained as changing facilities for the playing fields. The planning statement says the fields are already used for physical education, but teaching time is currently lost because pupils have to change into PE kit before travelling there.
The Adbolton Lane proposals also include a new access road from Adbolton Lane, a segregated pedestrian footpath, secure access gates, a staff car park, a bin store and a cess pit. The car park would be for school staff and would sit behind secure gates, with the stated aim of preventing parent access during busy drop-off and pick-up periods.
The playing fields are private school land. The planning statement says the site has been subject to unauthorised access, including dog walking and anti-social behaviour, creating issues such as animal waste, litter, fire remains and damage to fencing and football goalposts.
Planning constraints identified in the documents include heritage sensitivity at the Trent Boulevard site, Green Belt restrictions at Adbolton Lane Playing Fields, flood risk at both sites, access and highways issues, and the need to achieve at least 10% biodiversity net gain for the Adbolton Lane element.
Pre-application advice from the local planning authority indicated that replacing the temporary classroom block with a permanent building was supported in principle. It also said the new two-storey teaching block was acceptable in principle, but that the temporary classroom use at Adbolton Lane would require a “Very Special Circumstances” justification because the playing fields are in the Nottinghamshire-Derbyshire Green Belt.
The documents also state that no increase in pupil numbers is expected, although the new building would improve the quality, flexibility and long-term suitability of the school’s accommodation.
The application has not yet been decided. If approved, the scheme would allow the school to replace a long-standing temporary classroom block with permanent teaching space, while creating changing facilities at Adbolton Lane once the main works are complete.
